Netminder Malcolm Subban responds to criticism like a champ

Canada took a big step forward at the World Junior Hockey Championship on Sunday, scoring a pair of early goals by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ryan Strome, then hanging their hat on some staunch defensive play and tremendous goaltending by Malcolm Subban to hold off USA 2-1.

The game was something of a mixed bag with just enough positives to outweigh the negatives. Foremost among the plusses was Subban, who delivered a 36-save effort to outduel fellow player-of-the-game John Gibson. Subban allowed a few iffy rebounds but made most of them disappear, with a couple of outstanding second-saves already on the highlight loops. It was a top-notch performance sufficient to silence his critics (if only for a day! this being Canada).

On this day, Subban’s play drew praise from all around, including Canadian captain Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: “He was stellar. When you get goaltending like that, it makes you feel a lot more comfortable out there.”

No kidding. Not that Canadian fans felt too comfortable when the Americans scored midway in the third after an übercheap (batted) puck-over-glass infraction to narrow the gap. The two teams then proceeded to play an extended game of “Let’s Shoot Ourselves in the Foot! Both Feet!”, with the Americans taking a series of bonehead penalties to kill much of the clock time remaining, and the Canadian powerplay wasting that time rather than showing a little killer instinct and putting this one away. In the end it was Nugent-Hopkins taking the last bad penalty and Canada enduring it’s own two-man disadvantage (albeit 4v6) for a nail-biting last minute-plus.

RNH’s own game was something of a mixed bag. He got off to an excellent start by absolutely sniping the first goal on a Sakic-esque laser from the top of the right circle, maybe an inch over the goalie’s blocker-side pad and about as far inside the far goal post. See the replay embedded up top.

That goal put Canada ahead to stay and for quite a long time looked like it might even stand up as the winner. Nugent-Hopkins was involved in several chances after that, setting up Mark Scheifele at the doorstep moments later to force one of Gibson’s best stops. In the third period RNH was foiled twice by Gibson and a third time by the crossbar on the one ten-bell chance Canada had in 2:36 of 5-on-3 time. But he didn’t bring his A game in terms of owning the puck, a lot of half-won battles and scrambled play. He was beyond terrible in the faceoff circle (1/12=08%); with Scheifele (3/8=38%) taking the right-side draws the line won just 4 of 20 draws the whole game, so it’s pretty funny that their goal came directly off a won draw. (You guys should try that more often!)

RNH did make a key defensive play in the third period with Subban momentarily distracted, but that penalty at the end could easily have come with a pair of goat horns. A bit of a cheap one but this was the third very-late-game penalty for Nugent-Hopkins on European ice this year, suggesting he still needs to learn that on the big ice the refs are not reluctant to call anything at any time. Best way to settle scores is by smiling at the other guys while your anthem is being played.

The other Edmonton-based player, Griffin Reinhart, also had an up-and-down game. The Oil Kings’ capain plays such an understated style that he’s easy to lose track of out there, with the latest evidence being the assist he earned but didn’t receive on the RNH goal. (See: video evidence above) Reinhart did get sucked out of position a time or two, pursuing a dangling puck-carrier right out of his zone, but by eye his game settled down as this one went along. He had some bad luck to incur a four-minute high-sticking penalty for a lifted stick gone wrong (on a key defensive stop at that) that resulted in the slightest of blood-lettings; his mates, especially Subban, bailed him out that time. He was also a bit unlucky to just miss swiping away the puck that dribbled in for the one Yankee goal. But come that 4-on-6 in the dying seconds, there was Reinhart paired with defensive stalwart Scott Harrington, tenaciously holding their ground with both guys contributing key clearances from the goal mouth if not from entirely from the zone.

As a team Canada seemed just a little bit passive to the puck; for example, camping out and waiting for ring-arounds to reach them rather than aggressively skating towards the puck. That lack of decisiveness resulted in a few more 50/50 pucks than were necessary. And oh! that powerplay! A complete lack of urgency, when the game was still very much on the line. But their defensive sticks were excellent, with countless passes through the goalmouth denied, or shots tipped into the netting — three whistles in a row at one point.

In many ways, this game resembled the one that closed out group play at Rexall Place one year ago, whn Canada surged to a 3-0 lead and grimly hung on to win it 3-2. This one had far more import in the standings, though. With the regulation win, Canada remains atop their group after 3 games, with 9 points to Russia’s 8, while USA is way back with just 3 points and needing a result in their final game against Slovakia tomorrow.

That one-point lead over the Russians means little, as even a overtime or shootout loss against Russia on New Year’s Eve would give the hosts both the tie and the tie-breaker. The long-awaited “Nuge vs. Nail” game is therefore a highly meaningful contest; essentially it’s a first quarterfinal, with the winner jumping directly to the semis and the loser getting what amounts to a second quarterfinal and the overland route to the gold. So consider it hockey’s version of the Page playoff system. Won’t kill you to lose it, but it will hurt quite a bit.

Lest you think that game won’t be played before a hostile crowd, consider that the fans in Ufa have largely rooted for Germany and USA against Canada to this point. Which is a little mind-boggling when you think about it. I’ll choose to accept it in a strictly hockey context, as a twisted form of respect. Either that, or the 24-hour darkness in Ufa really does have an effect on people.

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